


As The World Falls Down

by Morning_Glory



Series: Trope Bingo Prompt Fills [10]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Family Secrets, Gen, Injury, Time Travel, Tony is kind of an ass, Trope Bingo Round 2, Weirdness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-10
Updated: 2013-11-10
Packaged: 2018-01-01 01:32:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1038746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morning_Glory/pseuds/Morning_Glory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy's first time visiting Stark Tower comes with a few unexpected twists.</p>
            </blockquote>





	As The World Falls Down

**Author's Note:**

> Months of poking at this and it's finally done. It's kinda twisty and weird, and I don't even know what else to say. As always, all mistakes are mine, Marvel's characters are not.

* * *

<Dialogue> = words being lip read

*Dialogue* = sign language

* * *

 

 

“Come on, Jane. You’re overthinki--AAAUGH.” A pair of massive arms wrap around her from behind with no warning and spin her around, the low, rumbling laugh giving away the attackers identity. Darcy’s surprised shriek turns into a laugh as she tugs at Thor’s hands. “Down. Now.” The second her feet touch the floor she turns around and smacks uselessly at his armor while he laughs. “Seriously, big guy, doing stuff like that’s just asking for me to tase you.” Thor holds his hands up in surrender but doesn’t lose his grin. She shakes her head and wraps her arms around his waist, glad when he hugs her back because, seriously, best hugs ever. “You’re stealing her, aren’t you?” Darcy mutters against his chest.

“With your permission.” Darcy looks up at him with a smirk.

“Not _my_ permission you need, big guy. But for what it's worth, you do have my blessing.” Thor smiles brightly, gives one last squeeze and drops a kiss on the top of her head before rushing off to Jane and dragging her outside, onto the balcony. “Have fun!” Darcy calls out just before the beam of light steals them away. She shakes her head and sighs at being left behind. Again.

“Did you just threaten to _tase_ the Norse God of Thunder.” Darcy turns her head the slightest bit so she can see Tony Stark out of the corner of her eye.

“On the plus side, I didn’t actually _do it_ this time.” She shrugs. He blinks at her, momentarily lost for words, then rewards her with a slow grin.

“I like you.”

“Well, you’ve only just met me. Give it time.” Her tone is consolatory but her lips twitch upwards at the corners. “Darcy.” She doesn’t offer her hand.

“Tony, ” he gives her a quick once over. “So, how is it you know Captain Hammer?” Darcy can feel the grin forming on her face as she thinks about it and Tony laughs. “That look says it’s a _good_ story.”

“Let’s just say I was..." Darcy pauses for a second to get her words just right. " _Involved_ , in first contact.”

“She hit him with a pinzgauer, then tased him.” The new voice is amused and Darcy glances over her shoulder to see a blonde with very impressive arms smirking at her. She pauses for a second, longer, look because, _damn_.

“Technically, that first one was Jane, ” she tosses back flippantly as she half turns in his direction so she can keep her eyes on both men. 

“You were driving." He tilts his head forward, so his sunglasses slide down his nose, and stares at her over the rims. 

“She grabbed the wheel," Darcy points a finger at him for a moment before lowering both hands to her hips. "And how do you even know that?” 

“I was there.” She stares at him with narrowed eyes and he stares back with a cocky smirk. 

“You don’t look like any of the thugs who stole our stuff, so you must have been with the creeper squad who was watching us.” He blinks at her, not sure what to say to that. Darcy smirks.

“None of this is throwing you off at all, is it?” Tony asks, continuing to glance between the two others with undisguised glee. 

“I survived tasing one god-alien and another attacking us with a fire breathing mecha." Darcy turns her attention fully to Tony. "I was in London when everything went down there and I've spent years working for the woman who successfully ripped a hole in space and time to create a bridge capable of travel to other realms. Not a lot fazes me anymore." She shrugs. "That, and I have a taser I'm not afraid to use and a posse of Asgardian warriors who are more than a little fond of me.”

“JARVIS, make a note, " Tony doesn't take his eyes off Darcy as he speaks, watching her reaction. "We’re definitely keeping this one.”

"Noted, Sir." Darcy grins, but before she can respond someone new interrupts. 

“Stark,” the new voice cuts off abruptly and everyone turns to stare at the large blonde who is frozen in place, eyes locked on Darcy. She shifts uncomfortably at the attention, but when she takes a second to look at him she recognizes his face and quickly comes up with an excuse to leave.

“You've clearly got stuff, so I’m just gonna go... unpack or something.” She gives an awkward hand gesture and all but flees the room the way she came in, the opposite direction from Captain America. In her hurry, Darcy misses more people joining the group and the looks being exchanged by everyone she leaves behind.

The interruption, something involving giant robot hamsters and six shipping containers full of pink icing, distracts everyone just enough that it isn't until Coulson drops by a few days later and asks about Thor’s guests that anyone realizes they haven’t seen Darcy since.

“JARVIS, is she still in the tower?” Tony frowns as he mutters to himself about them being back for days and the odds of her not running into any of them. 

“Yes, Sir. Scans show Miss Lewis is currently in her room and has not left that floor in nearly four days.”

“So, pretty much when we last saw her." Tony shakes his head as he pours himself a drink. "Tell her to get her ass up here and say hello.”

“Tony,” Pepper sighs, plucking the drink from his hand and holding it away when he tries to take it back. "Don't be rude."

“Trust me, Pep. It's fine.” All heads turn at the sound of the elevator opening and the voice pouring out before she actually appears.

"You summoned, oh sarcastic one?" There is a second of silence before she shouts. "YOU!" All of the gathered people milling around, Avengers and others, watch in stunned silence as Darcy launches herself across the room at Coulson. 

The agent holds still, not knowing what to expect from her. Their last meeting hadn't been exactly, _amicable_. He tenses, ready to defend himself if necessary but reluctant to hurt her for a number of reasons, not limited to angry Asgardians or astrophysicists. The last thing anyone expects is Darcy throwing her arms around him and pulling Coulson into a tight hug. He freezes, stunned and unsure how to respond to the unforeseen contact. With her face buried against his shoulder, it’s only because of the continued silence that they, barely, hear her words as she thanks him. He awkwardly pats her shoulder and she pulls back, pointing her finger in his face. 

"Don't pull that shit again." She lowers her hand and taps his chest lightly, purposely choosing the opposite side from where Loki stabbed him years before. "I'm glad you didn't die." Her voice is very soft, barely above a whisper. Phil Coulson will deny to his dying day just how quickly Darcy’s reaction turned him to mush.

“Well, that was unexpected.” Tony drawls, taking a sip from the glass he stole back from Pepper while she was distracted by the drama. Darcy backs away with a blush, clearing her throat. "Wouldn't have pegged you as the type to throw yourself at an older man, Darce." 

She narrows her eyes at the nickname and smirks as she teases out a comeback. "Sounds like _someone's_ jealous that I picked him instead of you." Darcy bites off a laugh at the look on Tony's face and tunes out the strangled sounds from around the room. 

" _Rude_. I am _not_ that old." Tony's exaggerated offence causes more chuckling from their unacknowledged audience. "Why am I letting you stay here again?"

"Because Thor left me here to wait for them, and happy Asgardians mean less destructive Asgardians?" Darcy grins, watching the amusement flickering in Tony's expression over their verbal sparring. "Also, you're secretly terrified of what my tiny astrophysicist will do to you if something happens to me." Tony pauses as if considering that and shrugs.

"Fair enough." Tony's eyes flicker off to her side at Coulson briefly before coming back to her. "Wouldn't have figured you to be so glad to see Agent, considering your history with them."

"Sure, Son of Coul lead the teams of creepers and thugs that spied on us and stole our stuff in New Mexico," Darcy shrugs and rolls her eyes, not willing to give Tony any ground. "But he’s also the one who had us shipped off to safety when The Shit hit New York."

“Pretty sure we could all hear the capitalization on that one." Tony laughs, pointing at her with his now empty glass as he moves around the bar to refill it. "Explain." 

“S'what Jane calls him now," Darcy chuckles as she thinks about the drunken rants Jane still occasionally has during girls nights. "And I’m so not gonna argue that point with the woman who slapped that asshole in his own home." 

“She did not.” Tony's grin is pure amusement but his voice says doubt. 

“She totally did." Darcy points at him, taking it as a challenge and determined to prove Jane's badassness. "Thor doesn’t like talking about it, but the others thought it was hilarious. There was _poetry_. It was _epic_. Seriously, Volstagg's the best.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Tony rolls his eyes as Darcy digs through her pockets, grinning when she finds what she’s looking for. She takes a moment to set it up the way she wants it before-- 

“Catch,” Darcy throws her iPod at him and Tony catches it out of pure instinct.

“Hey, I don't like being handed things!”

“That’s fine, I didn’t hand it. There was no handing involved. I _threw it_ at you, that’s totally different.” Pepper laughs. Tony sends an unimpressed look in her direction. 

"Don't encourage her, Pep." 

“Well, she's not _wrong_." she smiles back sweetly and he shakes his head, turning his attention back to the screen. Pepper introduces herself to Darcy while Tony watches the video Darcy pulled up for him. 

“I’m keeping a copy of this." Tony looks up from the screen with a grin. "And is your boss looking for a job? 'Cause she can totally come work for me." 

“Ask her when she gets back," Darcy shrugs. "Depending on how she’s feeling about S.H.I.E.L.D. at the time, she might say yes. It'll help if you remind her that Thor lives here at least some of the time." 

“What's her problem with S.H.I.E.L.D. now? Did they steal her stuff again?” It's the blonde with the arms again, _Hawkguy_ or something like that, sounding far too amused by what's going on. 

“Not if they know what’s good for them.” Darcy snorts and turns to Coulson. “And on that train of thought, I am _offended_ by the slack measures of your goon squad in Norway. Your underestimation of our skills was downright insulting.”

"I'll keep that in mind for next time," he answers back, voice deadpan but lips twitching up at the corners. 

"You better." Darcy looks around, suddenly realizing just how large an audience they've had the whole time and just like the last time she was around them, Captain America is staring at her. She steps further away from him with a frown. 

"Okay, what's up Cap?" The archer speaks up again, following the shift of Darcy's attention. "You're staring pretty intently. Got a crush has on the new girl? " Now everyone's attention shifts to the Captain as he sputters denials. Everyone except Tony, who watches Darcy pale and start looking at exit routes.

"Come on, kid. I bet no one gave you the grand tour when you got here." Tony puts an arm around Darcy's shoulders and leads her away to the elevator, babbling away about lab space for Jane and replacing her iPod with superior Starktech. "And exactly what skills of yours did they underestimate?"

Darcy glances back over her shoulder as they board the elevator to see the curious looks aimed in their direction. She tenses as Cap rises to follow, something Tony can't fail to notice. "JARVIS?" The doors shut, cutting them off, and he turns to her. "So, you planning to explain what that's about?" 

"Wish I knew," her voice is quiet, distracted. She shakes herself out of her mood quickly and focuses on Tony, who watches her like she's something under a microscope. "Creepy staring is creepy,  and now you're doing it too." 

"So now I'm old _and_ creepy? Awesome." It breaks the sudden tension when Darcy laughs at Tony's deadpan reaction. "Seriously, why _am_ I putting up with you?"

“You appreciate good snark?" Again, Tony pauses to consider that for a moment before shrugging. 

“There is that. So, underestimated skills?" Darcy grins, guessing Tony will appreciate the story and explains what happened in Norway as he leads her to his private workspace. 

~~~~~~

Over the next couple of weeks Tony and Clint seem to team up, both determined to coax Darcy out of her room to spend time with them. Sometimes it's one on one, just hanging out, and those are some of the best times Darcy has had in years. Both men are practically _made_ of sarcasm and bad decisions and getting to see that in action is often _hilarious_. They also seem mostly unconcerned about invading her personal space, which quickly spirals into random poking and tickle wars. The memory of Clint almost falling off the couch the first time she finds that spot behind his left ear will never get old.

Increasingly more rare is when they convince her to be part of any group gatherings. Both men are highly observant, but the ongoing weirdness between Darcy and the Captain whenever they end up in the same room together is hardly subtle and neither Clint nor Tony holds back the comments about it with either of them. 

Of course, it's Tony who finally pushes things to the breaking point.

"So you've really got no idea what's up with Cap?" Spinning on one of the stools in Tony's workshop, Darcy shakes her head and sighs. They've been over this so many times now, it's starting to get frustrating. "But you know who he is." 

Everyone knows who he is, Tony. He's kind of an icon?" The look he sends her has Darcy stilling her movement, suddenly worried. Even in knowing him such a short time she's learned that kind of speculative look from Tony is a dangerous thing. 

"Not _everyone_ got a full ride scholarship to any school they chose writing about him." His voice is still light, still teasing, but there is an edge now that wasn't there before that makes Darcy want to cringe. 

Did you _hack_ my records?" Darcy hears the answering edge in her own voice and mentally draws back, forcing herself to calm down. The last thing she needs is to piss him off or make him even more suspicious and send him ripping through her past. He is surprisingly protective of the people he cares about and Darcy is suddenly, painfully aware of just how easily this man could destroy her if he ever decides she's a threat to one of his inner circle.

"Didn't have to. It was published, so that's all public record." Darcy closes her eyes as the teasing tone drops out of his voice. It's clear this has moved beyond being just curiosity and into a puzzle that annoys him because he can't solve it. He's pushing, hoping something will give. "So really, why? Secret crush on the Capsicle?"

Darcy shakes her head, remembering their conversation from Coulson's visit and hoping the joke will calm him down. "He's even older than you are Tony. Old enough to be my great-grandfather even." Tony looks up sharply at her and she sighs. "No, Tony. Captain America is _not_ my great-grandfather." She hesitates, then decides it's better to just tell him, in the hopes of salvaging their developing friendship from this new suspicion. "He may have rescued him from a Hydra base though." 

Tony blinks and it's as if everything about him has suddenly relaxed, the tension that's surrounded him since she walked into the workshop has disappeared like it never was. "He was one of the 400?” Darcy nods, still reeling from the sudden shift in mood, and for the first time not completely comfortable being around Tony. “And does the Captain know about this?"

“I doubt he remembers everyone he rescued, never mind someone he's never met from a few generations down the line, so no, whatever's up with him probably isn't about that." Darcy fights to keep her voice steady, wishing Jane and Thor were back already. She's always been aware of it on some distant level, of course, but she's never felt it more clearly than right now that she's an outsider here, and the suspicion will always fall on her first if they have a reason to close ranks. Darcy has the sudden urge to be anywhere but inside this building. 

"Maybe Barton was right and he's just awkwardly crushing on you." Tony isn't even looking at her anymore, just sort of staring past her as he works through his thoughts aloud. And just like that, Darcy's had enough. 

“Not funny, Tony." Darcy snaps and he stills at the tone. It's probably the harshest he's heard her be since they met and it stops him in his tracks. "The staring was already weirding me out, but now he's following me around and trying to corner me away from anyone else. I don't need you making it worse."

Tony frowns at that. "Well, he can't get in my workshop, so you're fine." Darcy shakes her head at how quickly he shrugs off her comment. It's not like she thinks Cap's going to try anything, but she has her own reasons for avoiding him, which Tony knows, even if he doesn't know the specifics. It's why he lets her hang out in the workshop with him so often. Sure, she might not have to worry about Cap in here, but what about the rest of the time? And after what just happened, clearly whatever issue the Captain has with her is starting to bleed over into others. "So, I've been working on something I think you'll like. Here put this on."

Darcy shakes her head and takes a step away from him, not entirely sure that she trusts the sudden emotional turnaround. She knows Tony's mind is quick, and so are his moods occasionally, but his switch from suspicion to playful that quickly while she's still on edge isn't sitting right. "Not until you tell me what it is." 

“Just a thing I've been messing with. Lets you see stuff that's already happened."

“So, what? You made a high tech VCR?" Darcy snorts, falling back on her trusty default, sarcasm. 

“Aren't you a little young to know what that is?" Tony obviously doesn't expect an answer, shaking his head as if clearing away a distraction and moving on. "No, it's not like that. It’s more like being there, fully immersed in the 3D environment. You can walk around and explore, whatever you want."

“That sounds an awful lot like time travel to me." Darcy frowns as she thinks about it. She looks up at Tony, fiddling with the machine in question. She takes another step back. "Seriously, did you never read comics? Consume any kind of fictional media? That shit _always_ goes bad and I want nothing to do with it." 

"It's not time travel," Tony waves off her concern. "There's no actual travel involved. You never leave here, you can't interact or change anything, just observe." He turns to her with a grin, holding up the small metal disc for her to look at. "Don't tell me you're not interested in seeing some of the things you wrote about in your paper? Getting to see Cap and his crew in action? It's been tested. Totally safe." 

“No, Tony, I'd rather not." Darcy shakes her head, backing toward the door. As she turns her head to check her path so she doesn't trip, Darcy feels something cold pressed to her temple. "Tony," she yelps at the sudden flare of pain that shoots through her skull. She thinks she hears herself scream as the floor drops out beneath her and darkness engulfs her.

~~~~~~~~~

Darcy startles as she opens her eyes to find she's not in Tony's workshop anymore. Instead, it looks as if she's fallen into an old movie, with men in suits that haven't been in style in well over half a century peering through the large window which overlooks a lab. She holds still for a moment, waiting for one of them to notice her, but she gets no reaction, not even when she has to jump out of the way to avoid being run over by another couple of men who just stepped in. She moves forward slowly. 

“Hello? Can you hear me?" No reaction. She waves her hand in front of one man, but again, nothing. She tries to touch and her hand goes right through the man's shoulder. It is a weird sensation, being surrounded by so many people, yet being invisible, and it's freaking her out more than a little. 

She reaches up to her temple for whatever it was Tony stuck there and finds nothing. He never explained how it works or how to get back out. Darcy's panic rises as everyone takes their seats to watch what is happening in the lab below. As soon as she sees Him, she knows. 

"Oh, no." She watches helplessly as the man she knows will be Captain America is locked into the machine. She stares blankly as her brain stumbles through the details she remembers about this moment. It isn't until the room clears out behind her, the door sliding shut as the last man leaves, that she snaps out of her shock as it finally clicks. 

She’s trapped in the room with a bomb she knows is about to go off. Darcy pounds on the glass, desperately screaming out warnings to the people in the lab below. Just as before, they can’t hear her. She doesn’t notice one man, no longer small and fragile, looking up at her just before the room explodes behind her. She feels the heat and pressure against her back, but no pain as the world shatters around her. She falls forward into darkness.

~~~~~

She hits the ground hard, hands and knees throbbing from landing on them. Darcy looks around at stone walls and equipment that looks like it was abandoned in a hurry. She hears voices through an open doorway and pulls herself up using the weird table with the shredded restraints as support. Once steady on her feet she follows the sound, seeing two men in uniform stumbling down a stone hallway. He fear spikes as she realizes she knows exactly where she is.

“Tony, what did you do?" She follows because she has to; needs to find her way out of here. But more than that, something pulls inside her, urging her to go after them. The sounds change as she steps through another door, and she turns to catch the sight of boots disappearing up the metal stairs. She feels the heat of the rising flames below and follows the boots, aware of the sounds of yelling and fighting above her now. She struggles, but reaches the top in time to see a man -oh god, it really is Cap again- leaping from the metal walkway towards--

Darcy can't help the scream as another explosion pulls the world out from under her feet. She thinks it must be her imagination that both men turn to look at her as the metal gives and she falls into blackness again.

~~~~~

This time she lands on her feet, the impact sending sharp spikes of pain travelling up both legs and through her spine. It takes a moment to recover and register her surroundings, just in time to be aware of the rowdy crowd in the bar trailing off into silence as a woman in a red dress passes through.

Darcy looks over and pales as she recognizes the group of men at the table. The Howling Commandos. She stares at them for a moment, studying the faces that she remembers, but has never seen outside of pictures and stories. She stumbles past them, feeling the same pull as before to follow the woman in red, and as she reaches the doorway to the back, the woman is turning to leave. Darcy recognizes her too. The same woman was in the lab for the first explosion, but more than that, Darcy actually knows her. Has for most of her life even; met her for the first time at her grandmother's house when she was just a child.

"Aunt Peggy?" Her voice shakes at the realization. The other woman walks past as if Darcy isn't there and Darcy stares at the floor, braces herself on the frame of the opening as the panic from earlier catches up and leaves her on the edge of hyperventilating. She's pretty sure she's going into shock. 

She jerks her head up at the strangled sound in front of her and bites off a scream when she sees the same two men she just followed into an explosion staring in her direction. It takes a moment of staring back for her brain to remember they can't see her either. She forces herself to turn away, to see what they're looking at behind her that is so shocking, and it's like being slammed into a wall as everything goes black and she's falling again.

~~~~~~

The first thing she feels past the pain of another hard landing is the cold, and the sharp bite of wind ripping past her. She opens her eyes and realizes she's on a speeding train with a hole ripped in the side. She stumbles forward against her will, knowing what she's about to see and wishing she was anywhere else.

“Not this. Please, _not this_." She can't hold back the tears as she reaches the edge of the hole, seeing the men hanging on the side, desperately reaching for each other. She screams as the metal gives way, watching helplessly as Bucky falls. She thinks it's her mind tricking her, making her see things, because there's no way his eyes lock on her just before he disappears out of sight. 

Struggling to drag herself back from what she saw, knowing that his screams will haunt her, she doesn't notice Cap pulling himself back into the train until he is standing almost right in front of her. The shock of him so close makes her instinctively step back. He steps forward again, back into her space and she looks up, seeing more than just the expected emotions on his face. He is staring right at her, eyes focused with grim recognition and Darcy gasps. 

"You can see me." He reaches a gloved hand toward her and she jerks back away from it, suddenly afraid to let him touch her. She feels something under her foot as she steps back, unbalancing her. The last thing she sees is his shocked blue eyes when he lunges for her as she tips backwards and the blackness swallows her again. 

~~~~~~

She hears the crack as she abruptly stops, seconds before the pain in her chest hits her. She's pretty sure this landing just broke a few of her ribs and she can taste the blood in her mouth. She stays slumped in a heap over whatever it is she landed on until the screaming forces her to look up. The man, at least she thinks it's a man, with a face like a red skull, notices her and stares as he melts upwards into a beam of light through a starry portal. 

The sight sends a spike of fear through Darcy, and not just because someone else could actually see her here. She's worked with Jane long enough and knows enough Asgardians, hell, experienced it once or twice herself, to recognize Bifrost travel when she sees it. 

Darcy struggles to push herself up, hearing a voice she would now call familiar. She stumbles forward on unsteady legs, one arm holding her ribs as the other clings to anything she can grip to keep her upright. The plane, and now that she can see out the window at the front she know exactly where she is, tilts forward at an alarming angle and Darcy closes her eyes. She knows what comes next and dreads. 

She's thrown forward as the plane hits, crashing into the back of the pilot's seat, barely feeling the slices of the broken glass against her skin beneath the overwhelming sensation of pain everywhere. She rolls to the side and lands against what remains of the front console next to an unconscious Cap. He twitches, moaning softly and Darcy reaches out to him without a second thought, no longer surprised that she can touch him, just desperate to wake him as the cold and wet rises around them. There's still time. If he comes to, there's still a chance he could escape.

Cap? Please, you need to get up. _Steve_ ," she recognizes the too familiar slip of using his actual name, but can't bring herself to care right now. He opens his eyes briefly, barely able to focus on her. 

"You 'gain?" His words slur together and then he's back out, nothing Darcy tries making him react at all. She forces herself upright, struggling through the pain and the icy water swirling around them, trying to lift Steve's upper body above the surface. She manages to wedge herself partly beneath him so his head rests on her shoulder, keeping it just out of the water. 

"You'll be okay. You're gonna make it through this, I promise." Darcy clings to him as hard as she can, tears burning trails against her freezing cheeks as the water passes their shoulders. She continues whispering things to soothe him until they both sink beneath the black waves together. 

For a moment there is silence, cold and empty, and Darcy feels like she's floating, quickly followed by that now familiar tugging sensation from somewhere inside her ribcage and she's falling again. Sounds and images flicker past, too fast to understand them all. 

A man with a metal arm teaching a girl with red hair how to fight. 

A lab, and a painful roar lost in an explosion of green. 

The man with the red skull surrounded by unfamiliar stars. 

An Army General with a spiney monster in chains and a red-skinned woman locked in a cage. 

The metal-armed man again, locked in a tube and forgotten. 

The images come faster and faster, the same people in different places, new people, new situations, until they blur together, streaks of colour and sound until everything stops with a sudden jerk and the sensation of something ripping in Darcy's chest. She gasps and pitches forward, crying out in pain as someone catches her across her ribs. 

She can't hear the actual words or identify the speaker, but she is aware of someone talking to her. The voice is familiar and oddly soothing as another person -is that _Jane_?- yells at someone else. Darcy feels herself being lifted carefully and placed on what she thinks is a couch. The mystery person tries to get her to open her eyes or respond in any way, but as hard as she tries, she can't. She is aware of what is happening around her but unable to do anything. Everything begins to fade and she drifts, letting the exhaustion claim her. 

~~~~~

She wakes to the same voice speaking to her softly. Opening her eyes takes a lot more effort than she expects, but when she can finally look at her mystery visitor Darcy sees the last person she expects. The tears come swiftly and she scrambles away from him, her panic sending her crashing into the railing on the far side of the bed. He looks different than the last time she saw him, older, longer hair, but still young and impossibly alive. The man with the metal arm. Bucky. 

He holds his hands up and steps back, shocked at her reaction, still talking to try to reassure her. She screams, freezing in shock and reaching for her throat when she doesn't make a sound. She tries again and is met with silence. She starts to hyperventilate as she claws at her throat, struggling against Bucky's hands as he steps in and tries to stop her. Darcy flinches as he shouts for a medic and continues thrashing against his hold. 

More people rush into the room, and seeing her state of distress the doctor opts for a sedative to calm her down. She fights even harder to escape as he approaches her with the needle and Bucky snaps for the bystanders, including Steve, to help keep her still. She doesn't stop kicking and clawing at them as hard as she can until Thor steps into the room, ordering them all to release her. 

Darcy calms instantly as the other men back off and step away, allowing Thor to approach. She's still shaking as she reaches out to him, sliding closer as he settles on the edge of the bed and allows him to hug her. He holds her throughout the doctor's examination, his voice a constant soft rumble that seems to soothe her. He asks her to tell him why she reacted that way, but again, she can make no sound. The doctor finishes his checkup and declares nothing physically wrong with her. Thor shifts her into his lap and she winces at the movement.

"Are you in pain?" Darcy nods carefully at the doctor, and when he asks her where and she wishes she could just tell him. She gestures to her ribs and her legs, holds up her hands helplessly before sighing and waving her hands in a way that includes her whole body. She mouths the word _everything_ carefully and the doctor looks at her curiously. 

We've done every scan we have access to and physically there's nothing there." Darcy slumps against Thor but keeps her eyes locked on the doctor, mouthing more words at him that he doesn't seem to understand. She taps her head carefully and tries again.

"Pretty sure she's tryin' to ask if she's got brain damage, Doc." Darcy tenses, pressing harder into Thor as Bucky speaks up, something no one misses. 

The scans all read clean, but I suppose it's _possible_ that her brain could be tricking her body into thinking it's hurt." The doctor sounds dubious about it, but turns back to her. "Darcy, do you remember what happened?" She nods. "And from what you remember, were you injured at any time?" Darcy nods again, more forcefully this time. 

"Can the brain really do that?" Darcy flinches so violently at the sound of Steve's voice behind her that Thor nearly drops her. She curls into Thor's chest with her arms wrapped around her head.

“Darcy, do you wish us to leave?" Thor’s voice is soft as one of his large hands strokes her hair gently. She drops one hand to his free wrist, managing a weak grip. She looks up at him and mouths one word. _Them_. And it is enough when combined with her previous reactions to know who she means.

“The two of you should go. Let everyone know what has happened." That was definitely his Prince voice in use, and though they are clearly reluctant, whatever look Thor gives them over Darcy's head works and they leave without another word. "You do not wish them to return?" Darcy nods slowly, swiping at the fresh tears with the back of her wrist and wincing. "Have they done something to cause you harm?" His voice is barely above a whisper now, and close so no one else will overhear. Darcy shakes her head, wishing again that she could just explain. 

Thor picks her up with ease, rearranging them both so he is lying on his side on the bed, with her curled up against his chest. "Perhaps more sleep will help right what ails you. I will stay as long as you need me to." Darcy shifts closer, feeling completely safe for the first time since Tony sprung his surprise on her. It doesn't take long for exhaustion to kick in and she drifts off to sleep.

~~~~~

She wakes to the feeling of someone watching her and tenses. 

"Just me. Don't freak out." Darcy recognizes the voice and opens her eyes to see Clint sprawled in a chair with his feet up on the bed. She looks around, sees that it's dark outside now, but there is no sign of Thor and her face crumbles. He said he would stay. "There was an emergency at home and he couldn't wake you. Asked me to stay and explain. He didn't abandon you." The final words are soft, a careful comment as he watches for her reaction. Darcy closes her eyes and nods, concern for her friend outweighing the worry about at how easily Clint reads her.

Darcy tries to speak, testing her voice to find it still doesn't work. She sighs, rolling onto her back carefully and staring at the ceiling. She hears Clint shifting and the lamp beside the bed clicks on. She blinks at the sudden brightness and looks at him again.

“Wanna talk about it?" Darcy rolls her eyes at his question, gesturing at her throat and shaking her head. She notices her chart on the table, as if Clint had been reading it while she was sleeping and reaches for it. Seeing what she's after, Clint passes it over, offering her a pen as well. She sits up, with Clint's help, and picks up the pen, struggling to even grip it. When she finally gets the tip to the paper, all she can manage is an illegible scribble. Whatever problems her brain has set up for her didn't disappear with a nap. Darcy snarls silently, mouthing a series of obscenities that would make a hardened soldier blush as she throws the pen and chart as far as her messed up hands allow. Beside her, Clint laughs as she continues making gestures with her hands even after her lips stop. "I'm _impressed_. Where'd you learn to swear like that?" 

Darcy just stares at him for a long moment, watching him watch her, waiting for her to figure it out. She blinks and it clicks. <You can read lips.>

“Useful skill in my line of work," he shrugs, watching her gestures even closer for a moment. She stills when his eyes drop to her hands, but he's seen enough. She's shocked when his own hands begin to move in very familiar patterns. 

*So I'll ask again. Wanna talk about it?*

<You sign?> she doesn't hide her surprise. The lip reading she understands, as he pointed out, it's a useful skill for a spy, but this is unexpected. 

*Not a lot of people know, but I had an accident a while back that did a lot of damage they weren't sure would heal.* The movements are slow and a little choppy, but still easy enough for her to understand. *It mostly did, but when I didn't know for sure, it seemed worth learning, just in case. It's been awhile, so sorry if I'm a little rusty. You?*

<Nana lost her hearing when I was little, so we learned to sign and lip read together.> He looks interested by that fact and Darcy wonders if that little bit of information will be added to her shield file in the near future. She continues before he can ask the question she knows always comes next. <She raised me after my parents died.>

*Must have been rough.*

<We survived.> Darcy winces as she shifts and of course Clint notices. 

*What happened to you, kid?*

<Tony. Fucking. Stark.> Clint snorts, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. He waits and after a moment Darcy sighs, remembering that he's a marksman and could out patient her any day of the week. She lies back down on her side, facing Clint so they can both see each other and tells him everything. She is pale and shaking, barely holding back tears by the end of it.

“Well I can't say I understand the how of it, but I guess that explains why they've been so weird around you since you got here.” His voice seems exceptionally loud after their lengthy silent communication. Clint looks thoughtful for a moment, then shrugs. He looks back when Darcy taps the bed to get his attention. 

<They?>

“You were so focused on dodging Cap, you didn’t notice Barnes was there almost every time?” Clint winces at the broken look on her face. "Aw, shit. You didn't know he was alive, did you? No wonder you freaked out so bad." 

Darcy shakes her head. <If I tell you something, can you keep it a secret?>

“As long as you're not gonna tell me Tony was right about Cap being your grandpa or whatever. Not when I've been teasing him about inappropriate crushes."

<Clint.> They both stare for a moment, trying to read the other, before he nods. <Old enough for great-grandfather, but no. Not Steve.> She watches Clint process her words, sees the exact moment it hits him.

“Barnes?" A small part of Darcy wants to laugh at how genuinely shocked he is. It's got to be some kind of feat to thoroughly shock a super spy, right? "Are you sure?" 

<Won't find it on any records, but that's the big family secret.> Darcy closes her eyes and shakes her head, surprised at her willingness to share this with someone she really doesn't know that well. Sure, they've spent some time together and had fun, but this is something she's never told anyone before. 

“How?" Darcy opens her eyes to see Clint shaking his head. For the first time in what feels like forever Darcy feels a spark of amusement and she can't resist. 

<Well, you see, when a man and a woman--> Clint’s hand covers her mouth before she goes any farther.

“Dammit, Darcy, that's not what I meant." It still gets a faint smirk out of him. He gives her a suspicious look before lifting his hand away.

<Sorry. Snark is my default setting for weirdness.> She manages a shaky smile for him and he chuckles. She takes a moment to breathe before she tells him the story of a girl named Connie and a strange double date to the Stark Expo, the night before her boyfriend shipped out to Europe. <They spent that night together and Nana was the result.>

Clint shifts in his seat, hunching over with his elbows on his knees, still watching her. "He had no idea, did he?" 

She shakes her head. <Connie sent him letters, but never got a response. She stopped trying the first time she saw him with Steve in a newsreel.> Clint arches an eyebrow at her slight hesitation over Steve's name, and Darcy shrugs. <Like she would forget her boyfriend and his best friend? She raised Nana by herself after that and kept it all a secret. Only one person outside the immediate family ever knew the truth. Until now.> She doesn't even need to look to know what the next question will be. <Peggy Carter.>

Clint goes sniper still. "Oh, you gotta be _kidding_ me. Former director of S.H.I.E.L.D? Cap's girl? How the hell--?" 

<After the war, she ended up in Brooklyn. Ever wonder why?> Clint frowns as if not sure whether to believe her or not. Darcy rolls her eyes and keeps going. <She found Connie's letters. They'd never made it to Bucky, but he was like a brother to the man she loved, and she wanted to do right by the family he unknowingly left behind. She thought Connie should know the truth and they ended up friends.> Darcy pauses, closes her eyes to avoid the look Clint gives her. <Aunt Peggy stayed close to watch over the little girl who would have been like her niece had things worked out. Made sure she knew her father and Uncle Steve were heroes.>

"I'm gonna need a minute to process this, 'cause that's a lot to absorb." Clint inhales deeply and lets out a loud sigh, dropping his head and running his hands through his hair. "Hell, kid, I don't know what to say to all that. I mean, beyond wondering how you kept from punching me in the mouth every time I mentioned the word crush about a guy you were probably raised thinking of as an uncle." They both wince at that. "Sorry." 

Darcy reaches out and carefully taps his leg so he'll look at her again. <Not done.>

“What else can there possibly be?" He can't keep the disbelief out of his voice and Darcy cringes, just a little. She knows he's not going to like this next part.

<When I saw him earlier, for a second I thought he was my father. I thought I was dead.> Clint doesn't even try to muffle his swearing. He leans forward and wraps his fingers gently around her wrist, watching her for any signs of discomfort. <It was too much. I watched them _die_ , Clint, and there was nothing I could do.>

“They're both here, alive, and you need to talk to them after all of this. You should tell Barnes the truth.” Clint’s using his serious voice, and part of Darcy wonders that she’d spent enough time with him to know that as she shakes her head a little too hard. She winces. "He thinks you're _afraid_ of him, and that's the last thing he needs." This time Clint anticipates the question before it's asked. He tells her about the Winter Soldier, and even this heavily edited version leaves her crying into her pillow. He waits for her to stop and calm down before continuing. "This is something the three of you are gonna have to get into eventually. They're giving you space 'cause you're hurt, but they're gonna keep coming 'til you talk to them. Think about it at least. If it goes well, you end up with family." 

<And if it doesn't?>

“Maybe Thor would be willing to sneak you off to Asgard ‘til things cool down?" She can't help but laugh at that, at his tone as he says it, and she knows by his smile that her reaction was exactly what he wanted. They sit in silence for a few minutes, Darcy lost in thought and Clint waiting patiently, his hand still at her wrist and his thumb circling against her palm. She can't quite meet his eyes as she makes her request. 

<Will you tell him for me?> She adds that she's not sure she's ready to face him yet, either of them, but Clint was right, and Bucky deserves to know the truth.

"If you're sure.” Clint nods. “What if he wants to tell everyone? You gonna be okay with that?" 

<I'll go with what he chooses. Like you said, if it's too much, _someone_ will hide me. > Clint rolls his eyes, but smiles. 

"Okay, you get some more sleep, and I'll figure out how to make the ' _I_ _t's A Girl_ ' announcement." He scrunches up his face, and makes exaggerated thoughtful sounds. "Aren't cigars supposed to be part of it somehow?" 

Darcy shakes her head, glad for the slightly ridiculous attempt to cheer her up. <Thank you.> Clint squeezes his fingers around her wrist, just a little, and nods.

“Sleep. Heal. Do whatever the doctor says to get better and out of here and _talking_ again. You being quiet is just too weird and unnatural." He keeps up a serious face for only a few seconds before cracking.

<Ass.> Darcy can't help her answering grin. Everything is still messed up, but talking to Clint has helped a lot. <Go pick on someone else. You stick around much longer and I'll start thinking _you're_ the one with the crush.>

He removes his hand from her arm and the mattress dips slightly as he leans over to whisper in her ear. "Guess I'll have to keep coming back until you do." She feels the soft brush of his lips against her cheek and then he's gone, disappearing as if he was never there. Darcy rolls carefully and buries her now red face in her pillow, smiling.

~~~~~

Nearly a week later, the pain is mostly gone and she moves out of medical and back to her room on Thor's floor. She still can't talk, but can now make some basic sounds, which helps for communicating with anyone besides Clint, who keeps to his word and comes back to visit often, until she finally tells him she believes him. Darcy smiles every time she thinks about him, and the effort he put in to convincing her.

She hears someone wandering around outside her room, mentally preparing for a visitor. She knows it's not Jane again, Darcy finally convincing Thor to take the scientist out as a break from all the mother-henning she's been doing since the incident. She took Darcy's situation hard, blaming herself for not being there to protect her, and getting in Tony's face about his part in it. Darcy grins, slightly viciously, as she recalls the impressive black eye he sported when he came to apologize, and how he still flinches when Jane glares at him. And Jane even took it in stride, just rolling her eyes and teasing her about missing the obvious, when Darcy broke down, realizing it wasn't just a boss or friend going to bat for her, but a big sister.

The sound of the partially open door swinging open all the way with the light knock has her turning quickly, smile dropping as she sees who it is. Clint was right when he said they wouldn't keep their distance for long, but this is the first time she's seen either of them since the day of the accident. 

"Was Connie happy?" Darcy blinks, not expecting that question to be his first. Darcy takes a step back, sitting on the edge of her bed before her suddenly shaky knees can give out. She looks up to see him still in the doorway, watching her carefully. She nods.

<She was. But she never really got over you,> she mouths slowly. Clint, who's been amazing about keeping her up to date on everything going on, told her who else among the group reads lips so she can still talk to others and be understood, and Bucky, of course, is one of them. He looks pained by her comment and Darcy looks down at her hands, tangled together in her lap, blinking back the tears that suddenly want to fall. She's not sure how to deal with this, if she's even ready, but he's here now, standing in her open doorway looking for answers. He hasn't moved at all since she noticed him.

“Will you tell me about them?" Darcy jerks her head up sharply, defensive walls crumbling when he looks as unsure as he sounds. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, feeling him watching her the entire time. She invites him in.


End file.
